The present invention relates to a novel, collapsible, passive flaccid bag for use as a bottle in various kinds of dispensers, such as a squeeze bottles, aerosols, and pumps, for closed containment dispensable fluid product. This flaccid bag incorporates a passive guide means that influences the manner in which the bag collapses, without regard to the attitude of the bag.
The bag of the present invention provides an important advantage, in that, it can be used with spray pumps to facilitate discharge of product in any direction. In such use the bag progressively collapses, coincidental with aspiration of the product, and remains in a collapsed state between intervals of aspiration. Collapsing of the bag keeps the product in communication with the pump.
The present invention takes into account two basic bag collapsing principles, established by the Inventor: (1) under uniformly distributed external pressure, collapsing of the bag walls proceed along a path of least resistance; (2) aspiration of fluid from a closed flaccid bag causes the bag walls to move in the outlet direction along a path of least resistance. The collapsing manner of the bag has been predicated to be attributable to resistance, and therefore it is manageable.
At this point it is important to understand that under uniformly distributed external pressure, complete collapsing of the bag proceeds from the region of the bag that is furthermost from the outlet. Collapsing of the bag in an intermediate region impedes the effluence of fluid from the region that is furthermost from the outlet. That is not to say that collapsing of the bag is not fairly uniform. It is. But complete collapsing must proceed as stated for complete depletion of the bag's fluid content.
The function of the passive guide means is to manage collapsing of the bag by negating adverse resistances and enhancing propitious resistances, without comprising the attributes of the bag. And in so doing, the passive guide means prevents the proliferation and sustainment of fluid retention pockets that normally proliferate inside of flaccid bags, as they collapse, and block product from being dispensed. Thus, the passive guide means insures that complete emptying of the bag will not be impeded.
Until now, the use of passive flaccid bags for closed containment of dispensable fluid has been limited to baby bottles where, despite the collapsing problems, the bag provides an advantage over conventional bottles. Still there is a need for a baby bottle bag, as provided by the present invention, that overcomes the collapsing problem. This need also extends to other kinds of dispensers.